Remembering Refugees this Christmas

Though our calendars tell us that “winter” won’t officially set in for another week, for many, the cold — and the dangerous risks it brings — are already real.

This is especially true for millions of refugees in Syria, where many families are homeless or living in temporary shelters, and still others remain completely cut off from supplies as the temperatures continue to drop.

“I burn plastic and cardboard in order to get some warmth during the winter. We barely survive here,” a 70-year-old refugee named Aisha told the UN News Centre.

Aisha lives a makeshift shelter for internally displaced people in Qudsaya, a mountain town in Syria that remains difficult to access.

These dangers also acutely affect children. The United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) recently issued a “direct appeal” to donate warm clothing and blankets to Syrian children. According to the Eastern Daily Press, some Syrian communities have received “little to no aid” for almost two years.

The problem has worsened within the last year as there are now around 500,000 children — twice as many children living under siege in Syria 12 months ago — separating them from vital aid and services.

The plight of Syrian refugees should be at the forefront of Christians’ minds this Christmas. As Americans prepare to celebrate the holidays, we should remember that the Christmas story includes a narrative of forced migration: Mary and Joseph fled their home to travel to Egypt in order to escape King Herod.

That means that Jesus and his family were refugees. Like Mary, Joseph and Jesus over two thousand years ago, Syrian refugees today are seeking safety: to preserve their lives and their families in the face of dangers and disasters.

Christmastime presents many opportunities to help refugees. Preemptive Love, an organization that is on the front lines of efforts to help refugees and pursue peace in the Middle East, sells products like candles and soap made by Syrian refugees. Purchasing gifts for families and friends allows the women who hand-make these products to “reclaim their lives from the ashes of war.” Donating to other organizations, such as World Relief and World Vision this season also helps to provide aid and services to refugees, especially as we enter brutally cold months.

In the past, we haven’t done enough to help refugees. A recent World Vision report shows that two-thirds of American Christians say that they have not done anything to help Syrian refugees within the last year, up only slightly since 2015. This Christmas, let’s change that.

Homeschooler in the Real World

Emma Folts, a sophomore at Wheaton College, shares her experience about her transition into college and how homeschool has both helped and hindered her.
How has your homeschool experience benefitted you, especially in your transition into college?
I think the one thing that homeschooling did that was really helpful as I entered college was that it taught me time management. As a homeschooler I had the same freedom as a college student has to put things off during the day and go see a friend instead. Since I had that experience, I knew the cost of that.
Also, personal responsibility and accountability with assignments. I feel like a lot of the other students had more expectations for gentler grading and that the professor would give them retakes or extensions, but that wasn’t something that ever happened to me in school. That learning curve wasn’t added because I never had it the other way. I think another thing was that because I was homeschooled, I was familiar with the format of teaching and then studying on my own.
Did you see any issues with your transition socially?
I think that homeschooling had two ramifications for me socially. One was helpful, one was hurtful.
It was really helpful because as a homeschooler, I had spent a lot of time realizing and developing who I was as a person and learning to recognize people who were being themselves, and those were the people I sought out as friends. Friendship as a homeschooler takes a lot more investment. I knew I was choosier with my friends which made me a lot less anxious and a lot more content.
The only real negative impact of the social bit was that I was really used to getting to choose the time I got to spend with people. As a homeschooler I spent a lot of time with people, but that time was controlled by me. As a college student, I found that you can’t really control the time you spend with people and alone time is not really available. Learning to deal with that was a lot harder than anticipated.
Any last comments on homeschool and how it has affected your college experience?
I think homeschooling is really helpful, however it does take a slightly increased amount of advocacy with your peers when you’re entering into college. I think a lot of people come in with certain assumptions about homeschool, especially students. You’re going to get a lot of, ‘oh my gosh, you don’t seem like a homeschooled person!’ [You can’t] take that too personally and explain your experience so that friends can understand it’s an important piece of you, though it might not look like the homeschooling that they’ve seen.
My encouragement to anyone who is a homeschooler transitioning into college is to realize the benefit that you have having been homeschooled, and to realize that the bit of advocacy and explaining that you need to do with your peers is totally normal and that it’s not a big deal. Once they understand your experience, it’s not something I’ve experienced being looked down on for.